Over the years I have developed a set of rules for myself and have used these as rules to help my teams perform better or more consistently.
Recently, some of the team members suggested that there might be value in putting these out on my blog in the hope that others might find it useful. Even though I am not convinced of the magnitude of the impact I have always believed that "even if one person can benefit from anything we do, it must be done". Well here we go. That is one of my 'isms' :).
Many of these don't need an explanation, I have talked to some of these to help you get a bit of context, or sometimes results that we have achieved that might help you benefit from these.
I have heard of other 'isms' and use them in my daily life. I have mentioned only ones that are NOT common and that I have not heard others talk about.
Please feel free to use them and make them your own if you believe it will work for you. If you have your own rules that are not common then please feel free to list them here for us. We will certainly thank you when using these to help us.
Management:
1. Do one thing and do it better than anybody else in the world: This line is a right of passage that is passed on from parents to children in the US. I this is the fundamental reason for the success of the US as a country.
2. Difference between good and great is your passion:
3. Management should be combinatory exhaustive and mutually exclusive: I heard this from a friend of mine during a conversation. This one struck with me for a long time now. One thing to remember with is that, while it is very important that we have this structure for a management it does not guarantee results because the team still has to execute effectively.
4. A finite state automaton cannot build any better than itself: For those of you that are not familiar with a finite state machine, just think of it a management machine. All we are saying here is that the team is only as good as the capability of the management. I keep telling all the people that I work with to improve ourselves. Else our teams will perform as good as our biggest weakness.
5. Respect Money and Knowledge
Strategy
6. To most parts strategy is common sense in a given situation: Strategy is for people who can't execute. You can make a bad strategy into success by good execution but never the other way around. Ask the question "What is the most important issue for your company today. The answer is your strategy! Strategy is highly over rated. Executing these questions to success is the key by being disciplined is the way to success.
7. PPPP: In implementing any strategy to success focus on first put a proper Plan together that answers the questions (Background, current problem, what, why, how, when, who, how much, value to the organization: Initiative document), the focus on the People, Process, that will then take care of the Projects.
8. A company is an amplified reflection of the person at the top or the top management: No explanation needed.
9. All surprises are bad surprises: At an execution level there is no such thing as a good surprise. Because a surprise means that the teams were not in sync and things were not planned. For flawless execution people must perform according to plan. Else this will become a habit and result in bad surprise in no time. Meaning, the next time surprise you with a good thing. Complement them but ask them to work together as a team the next time around.
10. Put pavements where there are footprints: Most companies make the mistake of over engineering processes. This is because people implementing systems and processes get enamored by the purity and beauty of the process itself. The best way to implement a process is to first put the simplest process that will succeed. Then when there is adoption, try and add to it. This even means that double entry is fine. Don't get into integration before you implement the process. First let them walk then put the pavement where there are footprints
Leadership
11. Difference between manager and leader: Manager will be able to execute what is possible and practical. A leader will lead his team to achieve the impossible, willingly!
12. Evoke the right emotion to invoke the right action: This is critical in communication, sales, and leadership. To make sure that people feel inspired to do the work and not just pushed to get the job done.
13. Lead from the front by having the rules apply to you: The best way to show it is to follow the rules you set for others.
14. No room for doubt: You don't have any room for doubt. If you have a shadow doubt you are no leader at all!
15. Praise in public and criticize in private: Make sure you only criticize or improve people on their KRA.
16. You can either be liked or respected. Never both: My mentor at a previous organization once told me that I have to decide either to be liked or respected. But never both. Initially my reaction to this was "Nonsense"! But over a period of time I have come to realize that this is really true. Simply because if you want to make sure that you get everyone on the same page and executing at full speed you can't have everyone happy all the time but over a period of time the success of the of the work itself will help people realize the value that you bring to the people and the organization.
17. Water finds its own level: So too will people
18. Grow the pie and share the pie: People need hope and people need to understand their responsibility in the organization on how to go about making a difference that they can actually gain from and come out ahead. This is something that Sudhir (my business partner in VA says all the time). I think it makes perfect sense as a rule to follow when leading people and for myself.
19. People behave as they are measured: This is something that is very obvious but no one really is willing to do. It is a question creating some simple result areas and making sure that they perform accordingly. You set the measurements right, your team will perform the way you want.
Mindset: Each company has an ideal mindset. Find out what your company mindset is. Don't start anything without understanding this. Else you are going to push people instead of having a stewardship agreement with them
20. A mindset change begins with trust in the other person
21. Change the mindset/attitude, you change the person
22. Consistency of purpose: If you want to make a change in the company make sure that the CEO and top management talk about the change at least for a quarter. Nothing happens faster than a quarter. To make a initiative into a culture you need to keep the initiative in currency. Good or bad keep them talking about it. "Never leave your wing man" That is the phrase for getting this done. To practice consistency of purpose do the small things right. Never take short cuts. Never be lazy. Never give an excuse.
23. Eat your own dog food!
24. The more I learn, the more I say, "I am sorry" and "I don't know"
25. Everything you speak is a promise: I get very skeptical about people that say "I will be honest with you…" or "I promise I will do it…" I believe that is a word you speak is a promise. When you commit to doing something do it.
26. What you believe is what you become: Over a period of time I have come to realize that there is not much difference between thought and reality. If you really believe in something from cell of your being your reality is certain to become a reality. The whole notion of the observer making a difference to the observation.
27. Think like the CEO: If you want to lead by example, first check to make sure that you show the team how to go about doing things. It is important for the team to know that you can do it and it easily achievable when you put your mind at it. Delegation is a responsibility. Make sure that other person can do what is delegated to them before letting them fail and feeling frustrated.
28. I am the root cause for all failure: If something goes wrong with anything that I am doing, I believe it is because I believe I have failed to do something right in my subconscious mind that has stopped me from communicating the plan better to the team which has stopped us from getting the results we wanted. Never blame anyone else. Take responsibility of your failures
29. What you sow is what you reap
30. With great power comes great responsibility: This is straight from the Spiderman comic book. You will agree with me that this is really true as truth can be.
31. Your strengths and weaknesses are the same
32. Issues come and go, you make the interpretation of how you feel. Don't let emotion get better of you. Solve the problem first by becoming the problem.
33. Sometimes you can't control your how you feel but you can certainly control your actions.
34. Make kindness a way of life: Be Kind and respectful to others in thought and action.
35. Do it once but NEVER do it again: I am a very lazy person. But all of us have to work. I just figure that there is really no point in doing the same thing again and again. That is why I go out of the way and ensure I make everything a part of the system so that I don't have to every try and do it again or rethink the same thing.
36. Fun: If you are not having fun. You should not be doing that work or working for that company.
37. When things are down, chips are down and our backs are to the wall, it is called… "Show Time!!!!"
About the Author
As the founder of Vantage Agora (VA), Harsha has been instrumental in the growth of the company since its inception. Harsha has over 20+ years of experience in consulting, Enterprise Social Networking, Business Intelligence, and Process improvement. His work with companies such as Fidelity, American Airlines, I2 Technologies, etc, has made him an Expert in Business intelligence and Process improvement.
Harsha has developed a patent pending 'Enterprise Social Network – VA Club', Harsha also has 4 process improvement patents.
Harsha graduated MBA from southern Methodist University (SMU) Dallas, a masters in Computer Science from Louisiana State University (LSU) Baton Rouge, and a Bachelors in Engineering from Bangalore University (BU).
About Vantage Agora
Vantage Agora (VA) is a global provider of back-office solutions, custom IT services and consulting services for companies in the insurance, finance, and healthcare sectors. As a SSAE 16 Type II audited company, Vantage Agora utilizes advanced data processing and quality control systems on a secured network to ensure efficient, comprehensive management of back-office functions such as insurance, accounting, financial and administrative tasks. Founded in 2004, Vantage Agora has offices in Cleveland and Dallas.
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